Dumbstruck
by exequalistmako
Summary: Sometimes, when Mako watches his daughter in the Junior Probending League, he can't help but feel an acute sense of awe...


The arena still felt the same after all these years. Even though the entire place had been rebuilt and remodeled, the feeling still lingered.

Mako shut his eyes and took a deep whiff of the air around him. That weird scent, a mixture of stale popcorn and chlorine, was oddly calming in its familiarity. His eyes snapped back open at the sudden uproar of the crowd … and his wife.

"THAT'S MY GIRL DOWN THERE!" Korra shouted, jumping out of her seat, "SHE'S GONNA KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS."

He chewed the insides of his cheeks nervously as he watched his 12-year-old daughter and her friends walk onto the stage. He still wasn't sure how he felt about her getting into the world of Probending.

While he was proud that Kana wanted to partake in a sport that was a large part of her parents' lives, he couldn't deny that it was dangerous. He didn't want to see his baby girl get hurt.

When he'd voiced his concerns, though, Korra had simply rolled her eyes and told him to stop coddling their children.

"Daddy, Mommy said a bad word," his son whispered to him, his blue eyes widening in shock, "she needs to put money in the Swear Jar."

He stifled a laugh as he ruffled Lee's already-messy black hair.

"Mommy is just a little over-excited at the moment," he said, "you'll have to forgive—"

"Did I miss anything? Oh man! Check it out, Mako! Kana looks just like Korra in that uniform!" Bolin said, making his way back to his seat as he bounced Mako's youngest daughter in his arms.

"By the way, remind me to never volunteer to change a diaper again…" Bolin whispered, handing the toddler back over to Mako, "there are some things you can't unsee."

Emi immediately began chewing on her father's scarf, gurgling and uttering her toddler gibberish in excitement. He gently set her down on his lap before turning his attention back to the stage.

He winced as a burly firebender on the opposing team hurled a fireball straight at Kana. She easily dodged it, but his heart was still racing in his chest. What if she hadn't dodged it? What if she'd been burnt? The Earthbender from the other team sent a disk flying a little too close to her head for his comfort. He winced and clenched a hand into fist at his side. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to watch this match without suffering from cardiac arrest.

He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder and his fist automatically unclenched in response. He turned to look at his wife.

She ran a soothing hand through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I know you're worried" Korra said, her eyes softening in understanding, "but, try to trust in your daughter's abilities. She was, after all, trained by two of the best Firebenders around. Just relax."

She winked at him before turning back to focus on the game.

He took a deep breath in an attempt to relax himself.

But the over-protective side of him was still twitching more and more at every element hurled at or near his daughter

He groaned as she was knocked back into zone three, teetering on the edge as she tried her best to dodge the onslaught of attacks.

Her teammates were already in the water. If she was knocked over the edge, the game would be over for them.

He wanted his daughter to avoid Probending because he wanted her to be safe; however, that didn't mean he wanted to see her lose. He could never handle seeing her sad or disappointed. He was never able to deal with that pout of hers. She basically had him wrapped around her little finger from the second she was born.

Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Kana began to spin and dance around in her zone, nimbly avoiding every element they sent her way. His eyes widened as he realized she was using the Airbending techniques Korra decided to teach her. Kana was taking a page out of The Fire Ferrets' book and tiring her opponents out.

As soon as a window of opportunity opened up, she was back on the offensive, sending a barrage of fire attacks at her opponents.

As the smoke and dust began to fill up the air around the stage, he felt as if he had travelled back in time. He could imagine himself down there in Kana's shoes because he'd been there before. He could feel the adrenaline and determination coursing through his veins. He could feel the heat of the flames ever-so-gently licking against his gloves. He couldn't see a thing from the stands, but he could picture exactly what his daughter was doing.

The buzzers kept sounding, but the crowd could barely tell what was happening.

Then, one by one, the opposing team was pushed off of the stage and into the pool.

The crowd went wild.

… And so did he.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!"

He hadn't even realized he was standing on his feet until Emi began squirming in his arms uncomfortably. A smug-looking Korra reached over and took Emi into her own arms. There was probably an "I-told-you-so" sitting on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from actually saying it. For now.

He flushed slightly. He hadn't expected to react like that, but he couldn't help it. He was so proud of his daughter.

"THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS. MY NIECE IS THE BEST." Bolin yelled, clutching a giggling Lee in his arms.

"Yeah! My sister is awesome!" Lee shouted in response, pumping a chubby fist into the air.

"Seriously, bro," Bolin said, placing a hand on Mako's shoulder, "she's one of a kind."

Mako turned to look back at the stage.

Kana took off her helmet and looked straight up towards her family, shooting a dazzling smile their way. His heart clenched in his chest and a goofy smile spread across his face.

"She really is." he responded softly.

He knew he'd probably never get over his protectivness issues, but he knew for a fact that he'd never doubt his daughter's abilities again. She never failed to surprise him.

When it came to his daughter, he was constantly… dumbstruck. In the best ways.

* * *

_(( A messily thrown-together response to a prompt on tumblr ))_


End file.
